I cannot stress this enough, those fake “frugal” blogs and vlogs, are misleading.

Wrong, just wrong to benefit off the misfortune of those trying to live a frugal life, by giving them false information.

Let’s start with the dollar stores. They are the worse places for those with little money to shop at, smaller sizes and when you calculate it, higher prices per ounce!

I am a rarity in the world of blogging. I do not mislead, by taking advantage of those struggling to live on little money, that they have left after paying their basic necessities, like rent.

This blog is free to read, I do not make one cent. Nor do I want to be “famous”, it’s just not my style to use people, to make myself “famous”. Real bloggers and vloggers, want nothing in return. Fake bloggers and vloggers, want sponsors, money and be “famous”.

By writing this blog, is to educate, by taking the blinders off, so no one can be bamboozled, for financial gain!

Being frugal, means being careful, by not shopping at the dollar stores, buying “trial-size” stuff, that cost more per ounce. The idea of dollar stores, is to make it sound like great deals can be had there. Totally false, price gouging, is their specialty!

“Trial-size” stuff, means you run out sooner, going back to the dollar stores within days, to buy more, a repeating cycle of poverty!

This is just so wrong to falsely preach dollar stores, to those struggling to live on little money, trying to feed their families.

I have gotten free to low cost food, shopping elsewhere, more food for my money.

The key is to be armed with a calculator, start calculating the cost per ounce, you will get the shock of your life, of how much you are getting price gouged!

Warren Buffett, the billionaire, does not pay more than he has to, by being very aware of the prices. He still lives in the home, he bought in the 1950s!

That’s how Warren Buffett is a billionaire, he does not unnecessarily line the pockets of anyone. However, he generously gives to charity.

By taking back your power, getting educated and informed, no longer will anyone profit off you!

As a creator, owner and blogger of this blog, I work very hard. Unlike most bloggers, I do my own research and trial and error discoveries.

Every week, I am revamping the way I shop, to keep up with the ever changing shopping experiences. If I do not keep up, I will be price gouged and state sales taxed, to where I barely survive!

I live in a tony neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Believe it or not, shopping in a tony neighbor is much, much more cheaper!

On a recent outing, in my old neighborhood, I stopped into an international supermarket. Mind you this neighborhood is where most of the lower middle class, reside. I picked up an item and nearly went into a cardiac arrest at the price!

Why do I run this blog for FREE? I once grew up poor, the struggle of getting food to eat, is real. When your stomach is rumbling, you’re thinking about food all the time.

When I was 9 years old, I was feeding my parents and my brother! I found a way to legally get FREE food, store sales and doubling of manufacturers’s coupons!

As the Stock Market Shopping Strategist, it has been a lifelong learning experience, where survival depends upon my wits.

We control how much money we will pay, by finding better stores in “wealthier” neighborhoods, where the groceries are much cheaper, than the “poorer” neighborhood’s groceries!

Never fall into the marketing traps, thinking it’s a “poorer” city, therefore everything is cheaper. The same goes for big box stores, which I shall not name. Not cheaper!

It pays to do your research, your homework, when you are armed with the knowledge of the marketing traps, you are no longer a victim, to be price gouged and state sales taxed, to where your money is going to the wrong places, for the wrong reasons.

This discovery of the differences in prices in the “poorer” city, being higher than those in a “wealthier” city, was a shocking eye opener!

It was time for me to resume blogging, so others can benefit and save from my discoveries.

Stick with me, as I make more discoveries, by helping you to change the way you shop and start living better than before, on pennies on the dollar!

A score for the hungry! I had 1,450 Kicks and needed 50 more Kicks! Feeding America, the food banks which help to provide meals for the hungry, got 60 meals, from my random acts of kindness!

Congratulations! You have enough Kicks for your Help Fight Hunger! Redeemed to Feeding America.

Dashed out the door, to chase the bus, to the next city. Whew! That was cutting it close!

Walked in this upscale neighborhood Shopping Center. Five Below and then Michaels (Craft Store).

Five Below

Michael’s (Crafts Store)

Found this golden nugget of a bargain, a brownie baking pan, with a carrying cover! It was $14.99, on CLEARANCE, for $6.00!

Who says its just for brownies?! This can also be a cake pan, perfect for small families, to bake a homemade cake.

Oh, the numerous possibilities! A cupcake carrier, a small picnic basket for a meal outdoors, by the lake, a portable arts and crafts carrier, for children on the go, traveling over the summer, so many uses for this adorable, red metal baking pan!

While at Michaels, I bought this gorgeous, soft yarn on sale for 2 for $3.00. I am crocheting a sun hat, the color is Charcoal. A custom made hat for $3.00!

Went to a few other stores, checking them out. Then hopped the bus, to another Shopping Center to Aldi, for some groceries.

It’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit! Walking in the shade, after shopping for some groceries at Aldi, heading towards the bus home.

Return home, scan eligible purchases on my Ibotta app.

What a grand finale to my grueling outdoors workouts, while doing errands at the same time! $104.06 on Ibotta, awaiting for me to cash out. I’m saving it.

You read it right, as The Stock Market Shopping Strategist, I very hard! Not only do I run this blog, I run FIVE other blogs! Plus, I’m my mother’s caregiver! My mother has cancer and I’m providing for her, shopping, cooking and feeding her nutritious meals and snacks.

I do all of this by myself and help others, too. No matter how hectically insane my life is, I find the time to make a difference daily.

Oh boy! It’s becoming a battlefield when I go shopping at stores! It’s ME they are tailing! Yes, I get stalked while shopping! Those lazy she-wolves, have been circling my shopping cart, waiting for me to turn my eyes off my shopping cart of deals!

This happened at Big Lots! today. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the she-wolf was trying to do! She had an approximately 2 1/2 year old little boy with her. Here she was hanging around me, around the COLLEGE Dorm organizers! Red flags went up! She inched near my shopping cart of deals, that I worked so hard to find in the store. I whipped around and grabbed my shopping cart, glaring at her! She looked so pissed off!

Even though, I could have told her off, there was the little boy. I took the high road and went and got checked out, getting out of the store and far, far away from that she-wolf!

Can Opener, at Big Lots! $1.75

That she-wolf was very lucky, that I didn’t mop the floor with her! I am so strong, that I broke a manual can opener last night, opening a can of red kidney beans, for my homemade chili! I now have a brand new manual can opener! The question is, how long before my strength destroys it?

Growing up across the street from the housing projects, I earned my street smarts! You do NOT want to try to shop from my shopping cart! I am so strong that I picked up a grown man and slammed him into the wall, for decking me in the face! He never hit me again!😂😂

There was no way that lazy she-wolf was going to use me, for financial gain. I am aware of how some she-wolves operate. Lazy losers, that will “steal” from anyone’s shopping carts, buy the other person’s hard earned deals, turn around and sell, for a profit!

Trust me, I know how hard it is running a household. It’s like running a business. You have to watch the cash flow, making sure you have food, cleaning supplies, bathroom supplies and kitchen supplies.

You work so hard, to provide for your family, you most definitely do not need lazy losers, robbing you of your hard earned deals, from your shopping cart! That means your family has to do without! It’s unacceptable!

I am not “The Stock Market Shopping Strategist” for nothing. You have to be aware at all times, when you go shopping!

Why do they do that? They are running an illegal coupon clipping service, making money in the form of handling fees!

If you read all manufacturers coupons, it says NOT to be sold, they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law!

Those that buy manufacturers coupons from coupon clipping services, are committing coupon fraud!

Manufacturers are cracking down! Shortening the life of their coupons from a month to 1 or 2 weeks, to thwart coupon clipping services!

And…Here’s the kicker…As of July 2, 2017, Proctor and Gamble, not only shortened the life of their coupons…They limit the use of those coupons…1 or 2 LIKE coupons, per HOUSEHOLD, per DAY!

From the Sunday, July 2, 2017 The Washington Post…You only get 13 days to use this coupon!

The stores have also joined forces, putting limits on their merchandise!

CVS: Limit 3

Big Lots: Limit 4

Manufacturers and stores are cracking down on those Extreme Couponers, the unethical shoppers, who misuse coupons and wipe the shelves off products!

Unethical shoppers, turn around and illegally sell ill gotten goods, for a profit! It’s illegal here, as the health department regulates food, and beauty/health products, it MUST come from a store!

You do not know if the unethical shoppers tampered with the stuff they turn around and sell. They could use a jar of beauty cream up and replace it with a questionable “cream”! Now do you see why it’s illegal to sell store bought food and/or beauty/health products, for a profit at yard sales, Craig’s List, eBay and so on…

Anyways, when coupon fraud is committed, the stores take a LOSS, because they won’t get reimbursed by the manufacturers!

Guess who pays for the consequences of unethical shoppers, when they commit coupon fraud and/or shoplift thus stealing from the store…Ethical shoppers are paying for unethical shoppers stealing, it gets passed on in the form of higher prices, on all the merchandise!

Unfair, I know! Yet, I see unethical blogs and unethical vlogs, regarding questionable shopping hauls and questionable advice! They are enabling this fleecing to go on, the greed is obvious! They are frauds, who click bait the naive for the money, giving false advice that could get their naive audience prosecuted for committing fraud, by following the said false advice!

You won’t believe how far some unethical shoppers go! Some have taken to altering manufacturers coupons! Like using a $3.00 off 1 Manufacturers Coupon for name brand diapers, on illegally getting FREE toothpaste, in the same name brand family!

Do not get me started on coupon counterfeiters…

There are ongoing stings, gathering evidence against unethical shoppers to be prosecuted! Stealing and profiting off manufacturers and stores, is a SERIOUS crime!

When manufacturers coupons are used legally, the stores get their money back plus a “handling fee”!

See? I do NOT steal, I am an ethical shopper, who follows the manufacturers coupon requirements, to a T! The stores make a profit!

And the Store Coupons? Listen up…All stores have markups, some higher than others! JC Penney has high markups on their merchandise, so when they offer a store coupon discount, the price reflects the near true retail price of the merchandise! Not exactly a bargain to shop at JC Penney! No wonder JC Penney is struggling to stay afloat! With 1,700 various stores closing it’s doors permanently…JC Penney, will soon go the way of the dodo bird!

The Dollar Tree, is by far the worst store to shop at, yet they have security guards, because of shoplifters!

When I did cost analysis of shopping at the Dollar Tree, I was shocked! They sell “trial” size products, to whereas keeping naive customers in a cycle of perpetual poverty, keeping them coming back buying more “trial” sized products!

You’re better off shopping elsewhere, you get more product for less, than you would at the Dollar Tree!

Like unethical shoppers, there are some unethical stores! Pure GREED!

Ethical shoppers like me are cracking down! We are getting tired of being treated like we’re crooks, because of unethical shoppers!

By taking back my power, the stores no longer fleece me, with their price gouging!

When I shop, I have to deal with unethical shoppers, who will mow you down with their shopping carts! Also, I have to deal with questionable business practices of some unethical stores! And don’t get me started on the price gouging prices!